08
Apr 2016
GPs have more consultations than ever as workloads hit ‘unsustainable’ levels
A study by the Lancet medical journal, based on analysis of over 100 million GP and nurse consultations, has indicated that GP workloads have reached “unsustainable” levels and that general practice is nearing “saturation point”.
GPs are dealing with longer and more frequent consultations and workloads have increased by 16 per cent over the last seven years.
The current average consultation time has increased to nine minutes for each patient, which is just under the ten minutes allocated for each slot, allowing very little time to perform other duties before seeing the next patient.
Prof Richard Hobbs, lead author of the study, said “The demands on general practice have increased substantially over the last seven years. Recruitment of new GPs and nurses remains low while the population in England steadily increases.
“As currently delivered, the system seems to be approaching saturation point.”
Chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, Dr Maureen Baker, said that the report “should ring alarm bells for the Government” and spur ministers into action “before it’s too late”, while Dr Richard Vautrey of the BMA’s GP committee, said “This is starving GP practices of resources and exacerbating shortages in appointments. We need an urgent, sustained package of support for general practice that prevents GP services collapsing completely.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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